Friday, August 26, 2016

This is a weekly blog hop sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about those moments. This is the chance for us to reflect back on those and remember that there are tons of things worth celebrating.This week, I'm celebrating. . .1) A peek into an antique/artist's shop! Deciding to take some time for myself, I stopped by a cute shop on the edge of town. I wasn't planning on buying anything but found two things (Isn't that always how it goes?). The first is a 4 -piece tea set with cups shaped like pink tulips and matching snack plates--I have a 'three little kittens who lost their mittens' tea set I picked up years ago to make the kids' birthdays and such a little more special, but the didn't include any sort of cups, saucers or plates. These don't match perfectly but they'll do and are horribly sweet. An awesome deal on a reciprocating saw! I'm in charge of firewood (you'll see a picture of my mighty stack in a couple of weeks), and have a HUGE pile of branches that need to be cut up...all about as thick as my arm. But to cut them with a chain saw...well, honestly...it gets too heavy. And I'm NOT cutting them all by hand since the pile is seriously as big as my kitchen (like my sometimes crazy husband suggested). Anyway, this saw is my answer to not-quite-as-sore arms. I hope.
2) Unexpected surprises! This week has been full of unexpected events and changes. Some were good. Some weren't. But it definitely kept me on my toes, and I can honestly say that this was not a week where anything went as planned.

So yay to spontaneous events! Even when not so great, they keep life interesting!

What about you? What put a smile on your face this last week? Did you try a hoola-hoop? Pet a cute dog or cat? Get a sip of a delicious coffee?

Friday, August 19, 2016

This is a weekly blog hop sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about those moments. This is the chance for us to reflect back on those and remember that there are tons of things worth celebrating.This week, I'm celebrating. . .1) Kids back in school! They started yesterday, which I thought meant a writing day for me...but alas. I discovered all sorts of things that need to be done in the household now that everyone's been cleared out. Silly household work!2) Cooler temperatures! Which means I can bake again! Yep, that oven's back on which means sponge cake, chocolate chip cookies and a big, braided raisin bread (German style). Let's ignore the fact that this will add some extra pounds.3) Building a snowman! Ha! Don't I wish. Actually, these are the words my son has been singing all week long. For some reason, he's flipped into Mr. Singing in the Rain mode (Lol! Which is actually true since it has been raining quite a bit) and has been breaking out in joyous tunes everywhere he goes. I'm loving it.What about you? What put a smile on your face? Get a chance to day dream clouds into animals? Sip a delicious tea? Get to go out dancing or to a movie? What are you celebrating this week?

Friday, August 12, 2016

This is a weekly blog hop sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about those moments. This is the chance for us to reflect back on those and remember that there are tons of things worth celebrating.

Holy Crow! It's Friday? Again already?
(Almost spaced this post!)

This week, I'm celebrating. . .

1) A day of shopping and running around with my kids! We made a trip to the 'city' (*oooos* and *ahhhs*) this week to make sure the kids had more than just Walmart clothes for school begin. It was a drive around like silly kind of day, but we had fun.

2) Movie with my youngest! The rest of the family all had plans yesterday and left my son and me alone at home. So we decided to go see Suicide Squad. It was alright. Great effects, lame plot...but I didn't expect more.

3) A surprise calf! I had taken 3 cows to my brother for breeding purposes (he has quite the handsome bull) and was going to pick them up this week only to hear that a day or two before, one had a calf. I've been going through my notes again and again because I haven't had a bull (or even young one) at that time. So only heaven knows where that calf came from. But it's a cute and wonderful surprise.

4) My oldest made Chancellor's List! He's as proud as a peacock and hung the letter (signed by the chancellor himself) smack dab in the middle of my fridge. This kind of thing always makes a mom happy.

5) My deck is painted! My son helped me put on the last strokes... and I don't think I've ever felt so short in my entire life. You see, I had to use a ladder to do the outside railing because we're built into a hill, but at the last corner, it gets a little too steep to stand on. Since my son just happened to be passing by, I called him over (he's 6'3'') and sure enough, he just reaches up and paints it for me. He didn't even have to stand on his tip-toes or stretch or anything. *ppfffft*

What about you? What wonderful things put a smile on your face this last week? See some refreshing rain drops? Get a surprise package in the mail? Talk to someone you haven't in a while? What are you celebrating???

Friday, August 5, 2016

This is a weekly blog hop sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about those moments. This is the chance for us to reflect back on those and remember that there are tons of things worth celebrating.

This week, I'm celebrating. . .

Family fun! The first day of school is approaching fast (2 weeks!), and the kids have all sorts of things they'd like to still squeeze in. So we've been marking a few things off of their lists, which means . . .- We went bowling! I haven't gone for years and my youngest has never bowled. All I can say is yay to bumper lanes! - We tried something else new. . .

Now, THAT IS FUN! We're currently considering turning our hay barn (a very large one, I might add) into a private laser tag arena. Okay. Not really. Although I wish we were.

How I wish we were.

- Then, there was putt-putt golf!

Gosh, it was hot! Even the shade trees didn't really help. But it was fun. . .honestly, by the last few holes, I might have secretly shoved the ball in with the side of my foot just to get the whole course done. The kids received lovely treat bags with all sorts of pirate goodies at the end. That definitely made them smile.

- Then, (yeah, it's a list). . .
we went on a cruise around the world!

Ha! Not. That would be my worst nightmare since I get horribly sea-sick. This is actually the Titanic Museum. Very well done and definitely worth seeing. Expensive? You bet! But the kids won free tickets at the Library Summer Reading program...a lovely bonus!

- We've also gone out for ice cream at least half a dozen times....mostly because I'm a HUGE treat fan and love ice cream. The kids are more than happy to support me in this indulgence.

- To top it all off, a new calf was born. It's a super sweet white one and very friendly. My daughter was out hugging and cuddling it the other day, which totally blew me away since they are usually quite skiddish and run away.

- My older daughter made the All -American cheer leading squad, which means she's heading off to Florida for a few days in December to march and perform in the Disney Parade at Disney World. Although she's excited, I think she's having the most fun helping to come up with and organize fund-raisers for it. That kind of thing is right down her alley. She's my social butterfly.

So that was our week worth of celebrations. Quite a bit this time, and I'm not sure we can keep it up for two more weeks like the kids are hoping we will.

What about you? What wonderful things put a smile on your face? Drink a frappe? (I have these on my mind lately.) See a pretty butterfly? Eat a juicy tomato? What are you celebrating?

And before I forget....as if I could forget...the biggest celebration today is. . .

RELEASE DAY for THE THING THAT TURNED ME!!!!

There are tons of amazing stories in this book and not to mention, fantastic authors. The best is that there is something for everyone! Illustrations, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Historical...you name it.

We make decisions every day that will affect us for the rest of our lives: to stay or to go; to rise to the challenge or to crumble under its weight; to take the chance or do we let opportunity pass us by, without knowing what might have been. An open door. A chance encounter. A moment of truth. All such small things that can decide the rest of our lives without our even realizing it.

This variegated collection of authors of varying genres bring you pictures of these chances…these things that turn us—for better or for worse—and change our lives forever.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Well, for those of you who don't know. . .the amazing founder of this awesome group, Alex J. Cavanaugh, says it this way:

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!This month, I'm co-hosting along with Tamara Narayan,Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor,Lauren @ Pensuasion,Stephen Tremp, and Julie Flanders!This summer. . . or better said. . .Summers in general are not my best writing times. Word counts do a flailing nose dive straight to the ground only to leave a huge splat of 'wished for' and 'desired' in all directions.Goals set in May, all those joined writing groups and even word boot camps end with what-nots and 'say whats' and 'yeah, rights' until there are less words in those MSs by August than I started with in the beginning of June. Is that even possible? Yes... yes... I'm convinced words pack their bags and run away.Far, far away.But I'm counting summer as inspiration time. To write, we need to dream. Experience. Live.

Today's question is:

What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?Like many writers, I've had writing in the blood since I learned to write the alphabet. And I have tons of little, silly stories from growing up. Each one, I was sure might make a great book. Kids love to dream!The first thing I wrote, which I thought (in the beginning) I really wanted to send out to a publishing company, came when I was in college. It was a contemporary piece about a teenage boy and a difficult court case he was wrapped up in. . .based on a real situation. Oh, did my fingers type away on that one!Thank heavens the mess (a finished manuscript, I might add) has been shoved into a drawer and sits on the very bottom of some forgotten pile. Will it ever see the light of day? Golly gosh no! And I'm so much more than okay with that!

How's your writing been going this summer? Watch those words drift away on the waves too? Or did you get some amazing progress done?

Bookworm for Kids Presents:

My Bookworm's Weekly Menu

Hi!

Chaotic, spontaneous, adventurous, and full of surprises. Mix it with my four kids, a small farm and tons of writing - oh and don't forget an ample amount of chocolate and a cup of jasmine tea! And you've got me.